NEWS

New partnership to develop rechargeable aluminum-ion battery

October 2, 2017

Professor Gisele Azimi from U of T’s departments of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry and Materials Science & Engineering has received $210,000 in funding from Potent Group Inc. The funds will help support a collaborative-research project with Potent Group Inc. entitled, Development of a new generation of rechargeable batteries based on aluminum ion for energy storage solutions.

This collaboration is focused on the advancement and refinement of a novel aluminum-ion rechargeable battery that has the potential to significantly advance sustainable generation and efficient utilization of electric energy. The current offering of commercially available battery technologies are expensive, volatile, of limited efficiency and pose significant environmental hurdles associated with their disposal. Thus, there are serious concerns regarding their future viability. Hence, it is imperative to develop a robust, safe, efficient, and cost-effective battery technology that relies on more earth abundant elements as compared with lithium. Among potential candidates, aluminum is most appealing because of its low cost, high abundance, high volumetric capacity, and most importantly, ability to exchange three electrons (compared with one electron in the case of lithium). The Project aims to bring a paradigm shift in all forms of energy storage, including the powering of personal devices, the electrification of transportation and the integration of renewables into electric grid.

“The Project is highly beneficial for the global energy storage industry in general as well as for Canada, particularly Ontario, in terms of academic excellence, industrial competitive advantage, and highly qualified personnel, as it creates the opportunity for knowledge based economic and environmental impact, as well as enhanced technical edge in green energy technologies and mobility,” says Professor Azimi.